Oil Holds Near $61 as Shale Growth Balanced by IEA Supply View
NEW YORK (Bloomberg) - Oil held above $61 a barrel, paring the weekly loss, as investors weighed surging U.S. crude production against a warning from the International Energy Agency of an impending shortfall in global supplies.
Futures in New York rose slightly Friday but headed for a weekly drop of 1.3 percent. While U.S. crude production jumped to 10.4 million barrels a day last week, according to government data, the dire situation in Venezuela’s energy sector may exacerbate a worldwide supply deficit expected later this year, the Paris-based IEA said.
Oil has been trading in a tight range this month, with prices hovering around $60 a barrel as rising U.S. output continues to stoke fears that a shale boom will limit price increases. Still, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers are continuing production cuts in an effort to drain a global glut and help prop up prices. A robust global economy has also led banks including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to project strong demand for oil this year.
"The market is probably less concerned about the rise in U.S. oil production because the global economy is doing quite well, so there is demand for the additional oil,” said Jens Pedersen, senior analyst at Danske Bank A/S. "It seems like oil has found its feet following a volatile start to the year.”
Futures in New York rose slightly Friday but headed for a weekly drop of 1.3 percent. While U.S. crude production jumped to 10.4 million barrels a day last week, according to government data, the dire situation in Venezuela’s energy sector may exacerbate a worldwide supply deficit expected later this year, the Paris-based IEA said.
Oil has been trading in a tight range this month, with prices hovering around $60 a barrel as rising U.S. output continues to stoke fears that a shale boom will limit price increases. Still, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers are continuing production cuts in an effort to drain a global glut and help prop up prices. A robust global economy has also led banks including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to project strong demand for oil this year.
"The market is probably less concerned about the rise in U.S. oil production because the global economy is doing quite well, so there is demand for the additional oil,” said Jens Pedersen, senior analyst at Danske Bank A/S. "It seems like oil has found its feet following a volatile start to the year.”